Fine ore saving sluice box



Dec- 7, 1954 E. M. GEORGE FINE ORE SAVING SLUICE Box Filed Jan. 13, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 7, 1954 E. M. GEORGE 2,595,303

FINE ORE SAVING SLUICE BOX Filed Jan. 13, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR,

T'ORNEYS United States Patent C FINE ORE SAVING SLUICE BOX Edwin Morrison George, Republic, Wash.

Application January 13, 1953, Serial No. 331,022

1 Claim. (Cl. 209-458) This invention relates to the art of mining and has special reference to a sluice box. More particularly the invention relates to a sluice box especially designed for the saving of line ore.

One important object of the invention is to provide a sluice box wherein the nes from different size fragments of ore will be eiectively saved. n

A second important object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the lines will be graduated during the saving operation.

A third important object of the invention is to provide means wherein the nes from the ore may be stored in accordance with their grading.

A fourth important object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple in nature, easy to erect, and may be transported from place to place as required.

A fifth important object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein those parts subject to wear during use may be readily replaced.

The invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts, and:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a 3 section sluice constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of such a sluice with the storage bins shown in Fig. 1 omitted.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 2 showing the graduation of certain screens used in this invention.

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged view of a portion of the sluice trough and shows one of the removable screens and the manner of securing it in place.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view showing a portion of the sluice box illustrated in Fig. 1 but to a slightly enlarged scale.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the sluice box in plan and clearly illustrating the graduated spacing of the rirles.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7.

In the form of the invention as here illustrated there are shown three sections, although the device may be constructed with as many sections as is desirable. The sections are here indicated in general at A, B, and C and it will be observed that these sections abut end to end and gradually incline from section A to C with respect to the horizontal ground line GL.

Each of these sections has a bottom board 10 and vertically disposed side boards 11 mounted on the side edges of the bottom board 10. Extending between the side boards 11 and spaced above the bottom board are transverse bearer members 12 preferably of channel shape to provide desirable stilness in these members. Mounted on these members are longitudinally extending riies 13. These riles are supported in spaced relation, the riles on the section A being of greater size and more widely spaced than those on the section B and similarly the rifes of the section C are smaller than those in section B and closer spaced. The spacing and size of these riflles are made to suit the particular type of character of ore being handled. In each of the bottom boards 10 there is provided a plurality of rectangular openings 14. Be

2,696,303 Patented Dec. 7, 1954 "ice neath each of the openings 14 is a foraminous screen 15 here shown as of woven wire. However, the invention is not restricted to the use of woven wire since other varieties of screen may be used. These screens have their openings of varied sizes in much the same way as do the rifes. That is to say, the screens of section A have a larger mesh than the screens of section B and the latter have a larger mesh than the screens of section C. These screens are subject to wear and in order to hold them removably in place a frame 15 is provided for each screen. This frame is of rectangular form to t around the screen and is secured to the bottom board 10 by means of wood screws 16 as best shown in Fig. 4.

In connection with this arrangement a series of storage bins are provided, there being one bin for each of the openings 14. Preferably each of these bins is triangular in cross-section and has vertical front wall 17 extending downward from the front edge of the bottom board 10 and a bottom wall 18 inclined forwardly and downwardly from the rear edge of the bottom board 10, to meet the lower end of the front wall 14. Side walls 19 are of course provided for these bins. At the lower end of the front wall there is provided a suitable discharge means such as a bushed opening 20 provided with a removable plug 21. The bins are supported on legs 22. l

In the operation of this invention water is run through the sluice box from its higher end and discharges at its lower end. Ore in broken lumps is shoveled or otherwise fed into the upper end of the sluice box and the llowing water carries this ore downwardly to the lower end. As the ore passes over the rililes, the smaller portions carrying most of the iines drop through the small spaces between the riies. These smaller portions are carried by the iowing water over the openings 14 and drop on to the screens 15, the coarser portions passing over the ne screen and finally dropping through the coarser screens intermediately sized portions being carried over the line screens and passed through corresponding intermediate screens before reaching the coarsest screens. The lines which pass through the screens collect in the bins and are drawn olf therefrom at intervals by the removal of the plugs 21.

It is obvious that the invention is not restricted to the use of the plugs and nipple shown but any kind of a suitabble valve may be used for removing the contents of the What is claimed as new is:

In a sluice box for saving line ore, an elongated trough shaped body having an ore loading end and a discharge end, said body having a at bottom and parallel sides, said bottom having a plurality of openings spaced therealong, spaced riles extending along said body from side to side thereof and spaced above said bottom, line screens secured beneath said openings to form closures therefor, neness of the screens decreasing in respective screens from the screen at the loading end of the body to the screen at the discharge end of said body, the spacing between the riles decreasing from the loading end of the body to the discharge end thereof, and an ore receiving bin beneath each of said openings, each bin being triangular in cross section and provided with a vertical front wall extending downwardly from the front edge of the bottom, and a bottom wall inclined downwardly and forwardly from the rear edge of said bottom to meet the lower edge of said front wall, said front wall being provided near its lower end with a bushed opening and a removable plug seating in said opening.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 763,019 Phinney June 21, 1904 1,004,412 Gilchrist Sept. 26, 1911 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 200,820 Great Britain July 10, 1923 

